30/07/2021

Massa, F., Aydin, I., Fezzardi, D., Akbulut, B., Atanasoff, A., Beken, A.T., Bekh, V., Buhlak, Y., Burlachenko, I., Can, E., Carboni, S.et al.

Abstract

Responsible aquaculture, the farming of aquatic organisms, is a sustainable strategic sector for land and
coastal communities. It significantly contributes to food security and enhancement of economic
development; it provides employment opportunities and often contributes to the ecological services
provided by the environment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, the contribution of aquaculture to the global food security is widely demonstrated by an
astounding industry growth of 7.5% per year since 1970. In 2018, aquaculture reached the all-time
highest production of 114.5 million tonnes in live weight with a total farm gate sale value of
USD 263.6 billion. This makes aquaculture a key player within the Blue Growth concept and a strong
contributor to some of its key Sustainable Development Goals. This is particularly true in geographical
areas where dependence of local economies on fishery products is high, and yet access to sustainable
landings is hampered by ecological barriers. One such area is represented by the Black Sea basin. Whilst
the Black Sea annual capture fishery production has varied considerably since 1990 and its current
landings are significant, growing attention is currently given to boost aquaculture development along
the Black Sea bordering countries, with marine aquaculture being considered as an important
contributor to the total fisheries production. Nonetheless, aquaculture development in this region is
not homogenous and its development has, so far, been limited by environmental, economic, social, and
more generally governance issues.
This paper, for the first time, attempts to provide a comprehensive fresh outlook of the aquaculture
sector in the Black Sea, stressing the importance of regional cooperation as an essential pillar to support
the sustainable development of the industry. The paper addresses aquaculture in the Black Sea from
different perspectives: it outlines the key characteristics of the Black Sea environment; it discusses the
most common farmed aquatic species and the potential for new ones; it frames the national approaches
to aquaculture development, sharing information about success stories, while shedding light on the
main challenges and priorities ahead. This collective endeavour will represent a helpful contribution to
Black Sea riparian countries to answer the many questions they have, and expectations they hold from
the aquaculture sector.

Aquaculture Studies 21